GIBBS-DONAN EQUILIBRIA

• Gibbs-Donan equilibria
Brief idea about Nernst potential………
 Implications of Gibbs-Donnan Equilibrium

• The side which is having impermeable anions will

tend to have an increased concentration of cations
at equilibrium.
• This also means that there will be more no. of
osmotically active ions on that side  increased
osmotic pressure.
• The equation holds true for any pair of univalent
anion and cation in equilibrium between the two
chambers.
Impermeable proteins present inside cell in high conc.

Due to Gibbs-Donan equilibria diffusible ions especially

K+ will be more inside as membrane is 10 times
more permeable to K+ than Na+

At equilibrium cell has more osmotically

active particles esp. K+
Due to which water also tries to enter in
 Water molecules conc. not allowed to build inside
because of NA-K pump

Now intracellular more K+ ions present so they try to

diffuse out giving rise to RMP

Na+ movement can never quite follow the same path

because membrane is far less permeable to it
 Role of Na-K+ pump

• To decrease the osmotically active particles in side

the cell which has occurred due to Gibbs donnan Eq.

• To decrease the osmotic pressure thereby and

prevent cellular swelling.

• To restore the ionic concentrations required for

RMP/Action potential
 Role of Albumin

• Albumin also exerts a greater osmotic force than can

be accounted for solely on the basis of the number of
molecules dissolved in the plasma.
• This force becomes especially great at high
concentrations of albumin.
• This is due to the negative charge present on it at
normal blood pH and the attraction and retention of
cations (principally Na+) in the vascular
compartment. (Gibbs-Donnan effect)
• The small increase in electrolyte concentration of the
plasma over that of ISF produced by the negatively
charged albumin greatly increases its osmotic force.

• About 65% of osmotic force of plasma is attributable

to albumin, 15% to globulin and the remainder to
other illdefined components of the plasma.